Julia Louis-Dreyfus on Veep, the end of Seinfeld, and surviving SNL

It’s election season in America, but TV is about to get even more political — and hilariously so.

Ahead of her return as Selina Meyer on HBO’s Veep, Julia Louis-Dreyfus sat down for a wide-ranging Q&A with PEOPLE and EW Editorial Director Jess Cagle to discuss the show’s fifth season, as well as her time on Seinfeld and SNL.

During this latest edition of The Jess Cagle Interview, Louis-Dreyfus said she’s “very excited” about Veep’s new episodes, which pick up about eight hours after the electoral tie that ended season 4.

Louis-Dreyfus also opened up about her love for her Veep character (“She’s a heinous individual, and yet I love her profoundly,” she said of Selina), the research that goes into making the show, and the real-life politicians she’s met during the time she’s spent in Washington in connection with the series.

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In addition to Veep, the actress spoke about the best and worst things about her years on Saturday Night Live (she joined the cast at the age of 21, leaving Northwestern University early to do so), and her memories of starring as Elaine Benes on Seinfeld and the show’s end in 1998.

Louis-Dreyfus returns to her Emmy-winning role in HBO’s Veep when season 5 premieres Sunday. Check out her full interview above, and listen to it again on Sirius XM’s Entertainment Weekly Radio (ch. 105) this weekend.